A new regulation published in Türkiye's Official Gazette on Saturday introduces strict age verification requirements for social media users, effectively prohibiting platforms from providing services to children under the age of 15. The policy, drafted by the Cybersecurity Presidency, mandates that age verification will be conducted through the government’s e-Devlet portal.
Under the new rules, social media service providers are barred from serving users under 15. For users who have reached the age of 15, platforms must implement child-specific services that prioritize their physical, mental, psychological, social, and emotional development. The regulation requires that these platforms apply stringent privacy settings by default, including setting accounts to private, disabling personalized advertising, and blocking live broadcasts.
Furthermore, the directive stipulates that children must be restricted from receiving messages from any accounts other than those they follow, and their follower and following lists must be hidden from other users. Platforms are also required to provide comprehensive parental control tools, enabling parents to manage account settings, establish usage time limits, and approve any paid transactions.
The regulation is scheduled to take effect on November 1. Existing social media accounts must complete the mandatory age verification process by March 31, 2027. Any accounts found to belong to users under the age of 15 after this deadline will be closed.
